Cadets Visit the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnology

COL Shay, instructor for the Disruptive Innovation Course and the four cadets in the class traveled to Cambridge, Massachusetts to meet with senior leaders in high-tech companies in the Area to learn how those organizations manage innovation and to gain information pertaining to their research paper topics. One company of particular interest was Mesodyne, which seeks to revolutionize how soldiers power portable electronic devices by replacing pounds of batteries with a much smaller and lighter Thermal Photovoltaic power source. The class had a behind-the-scenes tour of the Martin Trust Center, an “innovation accelerator” to help student entrepreneurs launch successful startups. The cadets also had the opportunity to experience a monthly entrepreneur networking event at the Venture Café. This trip was made possible by the Harry and Diane Van Trees Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Endowment, a gift of Dr. Harry Van Trees’52 and his wife, Diane.